The Day in Rock Digest for 1/19/11: Sleazeroxx had this sad news: The former drummer for The Nymphs and Iggy Pop was killed late Thursday by a hit-and-run driver in Cathedral City, Ca (next to Palm Springs). Someone spotted Alex Kirst, 47, about 11:45 p.m. lying along the side of Date Palm Drive just north of the entrance to Date Palm Country Club. The unidentified witness called police, thinking the man was intoxicated. Cathedral City police said he had actually been hit by a car in the northbound lanes. more Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler said on Tuesday the band would start work on its first new studio album in a decade, and promised that his new gig as a judge on "American Idol" would not get in the way. "We've certainly been writing," Tyler, 62, told journalists. "I know (guitarist) Joe (Perry) has got some licks and I've got a bunch of songs that I've written for solo and/or Aerosmith, and next Saturday, we start." more
Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon and Kanye West have been named as the headliners at this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. more
Pearl Jam is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, they will release a documentary chronicling the bands 20-year career and at the helm of this project is frequent PJ collaborator and fan Cameron Crowe. Over at the AV Club, some minor details have been shared about the documentary more
And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead will debut their new single Weight of the Sun LIVE on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on February 7th on NBC. The bands new album Tao of the Dead is out on February 8th.
"Help Is On The Way," the first single for Rise Against's sixth album Endgame is available at the band's MySpace page here
The Arcade Fire's film collaboration with director Spike Jonze will get its official debut at the Berlin International Film Festival. The short film, Scenes From The Suburbs, will screen at the festival in mid-February. more
Whitesnake's news album "Forevermore" will be released on Frontiers Records on March 25th in Europe and March 29th in North America. A sample of the track "Love Will Set You Free" can be heard here.
Atheist will hit the road in support of their new album, "Jupiter", the band's first studio CD in 17 years. The first show will take place on Saturday, February 12 at the Cabana Inn in Sarasota, Florida, on the 20th anniversary - to the day - of the loss of the band's original bass player Roger Patterson. The concert will mark the group's debut appearance with new bass player Travis Morgan. more
Eyehategod has announced a handful of February shows. more
Hostage Calm and O Pioneers!!! will kick off a two-week tour this month more
Robert Plant has confirmed a 12-date spring North American tour, which will be the third leg of U.S. touring in support of his latest album, Band Of Joy. more
Arch Enemy have set "Khaos Legions" as the title of their new album, due in May via Century Media Records. The CD is currently being recorded at Sweet Spot Studio in the south of Sweden with engineer Rickard Bengtsson (who produced 2005's "Doomsday Machine"). more
Reunited NWOBHM band Stampede are to release a new album on April 18. more
Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is offered a "serious" book deal to write his autobiography. more
Katatonia has issued the following update: "20 years of Katatonia going strong calls for a celebration and we'll be doing just that by throwing five very special anniversary gigs in Europe this coming May presented as the 'Last Fair Day Gone Night - An Evening With Katatonia' tour 2011." more
Wilco have announced their second annual Solid Sound Festival, a three-day "celebration of music, comedy, art and community" more
Accept have scheduled some Russian tour dates more
On this day in 1978, Johnny Rotten was fired from The Sex Pistols for not being weird enough anymore.
On this day in 1980, Pink Floyd's The Wall, started a 15-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here
